Act Your Nice
by Millenia Marik
Summary: Ryou and Malik recite an Egyptian spell to make their Yamis nicer. However, they read it wrong...


Yay! A story that is utterly unserious and un-related to my other fics. o-o I originally wrote the first part in a journal which is why it's one big document instead of chapters. Don't ask why I capitalize Japanese words. Maybe it's just a respect thing. *Shrug* Anywho, R & R! I hope you like it, I thought it was cute. BEWARE! Gender switches, bad language, dancing, and random/crass behavior AHOY! In other words, a really fun fic.  
  
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Malik sat on the floor beside Ryou trying to see the contents of the book he was reading, "Did you find it yet?" Ryou shook his head, "No, not yet. Oh wait; here it is." Malik grinned, "Will it work?" Ryou smiled, "Yea, it says that the spell is for making people nice. It's called Act Your..." Ryou frowned slightly, trying to make out the last word of the title. Malik folded his arms, "Act Your what?" "Act Your Nice? It must be a poor translation. The spell should still work regardless."  
  
Malik shrugged, "Fine, you read it and I'll watch." "Actually, you're going to have to repeat what I say. After all, if a Hikari doesn't recite a spell themselves, then the Yami won't be affected," Ryou explained. Malik sighed, "Ok, I guess, start reading." Ryou placed an index finger on the first word of the spell and moved it along as he spoke to keep pace, "Turn upside down the sands of time. Transform body, spirit, and mind." Ryou continued to read as Malik began to repeat him, "Act your nice despite your will. Your nice will change as I chant this spell. May magic seep into your soul. And this intended to force you into the acting of your nice."  
  
Ryou looked at Malik; Malik looked at Ryou. Shutting the book, Ryou shrugged, "That's all." Malik stood, "let's go see if it worked." Ryou got to his feet, "Bakura's in the living room, let's go see." The two excited boys exited Ryou's bedroom and crept down the hall. They emerged into the living room of Ryou's apartment, finding Bakura stretched out on the couch. Ryou walked over to Bakura, "Erm... Hi, Bakura." The white-haired spirit didn't even bother to look at Ryou, "What do you want?" Ryou appeared to be disappointed, "Never mind..." He walked back over to Malik. "Stupid mortal; bothering me for no reason..." Bakura muttered.  
  
That night, Ryou looked over the spell he had tried earlier. It didn't make sense. He had read it perfectly! Ryou shut the book once more after slipping a bookmark into it. He then hid it under his bed and crawled under his blankets. He nestled into his pillow and gave a soft yawn before trying to get some sleep.  
  
Bakura woke up early, stumbling into the bathroom. Turning on the light, he hissed and squeezed his eyes shut. Feeling his way to the sink, he opened an eye and located his toothbrush. Next, he applied toothpaste to it and stuck it in his mouth. The minty taste woke him up, causing him to open both eyes. Turning on the sink, he spat out the contents of his mouth and washed them down the drain.  
  
Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and shutting off the water, Bakura took notice of himself in the mirror, "What in hell?" Examining himself closer, Bakura found that his facial features seemed more mature. He turned sideways and took a profile view of himself. How strange. His hair was longer as well. Lifting an eyebrow, he noticed the other differences. Since he wore no shirt, he could see that his abdomen sported more muscles and toned areas than before. And his pants felt oddly tight. They rode higher above his ankles than they did yesterday...  
  
Leaving the bathroom, Bakura intruded upon Ryou's room, "Wake up mortal!" Ryou bolted upright in bed, furiously rubbing his eyes and trying to become coherent as quickly as possible. Bakura didn't like to wait and this he knew, "W...What? Please don't hurt me." Bakura sneered, "I'm not going to hurt you... Tell me, Mortal, do I look different to you?" Ryou's eyes finally caught focus and he examined Bakura, "Uh. Have you been working out ...a lot?" Ryou nearly had to double-take what he was seeing. Bakura almost never did anything productive nowadays, where did he get that body? "No, I haven't," Bakura replied with a cold tone.  
  
"Stand up!" Bakura suddenly demanded. Ryou climbed out of bed, still clad in his soft blue pajamas. Bakura moved over to Ryou and stood in front of him, putting a hand to his forehead as if to salute but then moving it forward to compare his height to Ryou's. Ryou then realized that Bakura was taller than him. He blinked several times as he looked up at Bakura, "Oh dear..." Bakura arched an eyebrow, "Stand up straight" "I am..." Ryou said quietly.  
  
Ryou watched the tomb robber move away from him and scratch his head in thought and confusion. Ryou began to wonder what was going on. "Are you ok, Bakura?" he asked timidly. Bakura glared at Ryou, "Of course I'm ok. Why wouldn't I be ok? Shush, foolish mortal!" When he ran out of things to save, Bakura gave a questioning look to Ryou and then left the room to go gawk at the mirror some more.  
  
Malik faced similar treatment from his own Yami. However, things were quite the opposite. For the first time, Malik looked down at Marik. He was 5 full inches shorter than he had been yesterday and none too happy about it. Not only that, but his eyes were larger with more shine to them. Malik supposed he was a little younger? He wasn't really sure.  
  
Malik sat on the reclining chair in his living room watching Marik mutter vulgar things while pushing his armlets back up his thin arms. He eventually grew tired of the constant failure and removed both the armlets and bracers, chucking them at a nearby wall, "Blasted non-adjustable jewelry! Burn in hell!" He noticed Malik looking at him and frowned deeply, "What? Is there something interesting to look at over here Hikari? Stop looking at me like that!" Malik frowned, "But I wasn't-""Just shut up!" Marik growled.  
  
"...I'm going to go visit Ryou; will you be ok by yourself?" Malik asked while walking over to the telephone. "Will you be ok with a broken rib or two?" Marik called after him. Malik shivered and took the receiver of the phone into his hand, placing it up to his ear. He dialed Ryou's number and after three rings, got a reply. "Hello?" Ryou's soft voice drifted over the phone. Malik glanced over at Marik before turning away from him and speaking quietly into the phone, "Ryou, it's me, Malik. I hate to bother you, but there's something seriously wrong with Marik."  
  
There was silence on the line. "Ryou?" Malik asked, getting worried that Bakura had stolen the phone. "I'm here. But ah... Is he taller than you? Does he look different?" "He's shorter than I am. Four inches or so it looks like. And his eyes are all... Ryou, he looks younger. It's like he... I don't know what to say. Only that he's very mad." Malik whispered into the phone so that Marik wouldn't hear. Ryou bit his lower lip, "Bakura's starting to look like he's past twenty-five. Ditto on the anger management problem." "I'm coming over there right now, ok?" Malik asked quickly as he saw Marik look toward him. "Alright, I'll let Bakura know you're coming so he won't freak out and try to hurt you." Both Ryou and Malik hung up their respective phones.  
  
In a matter of minutes, Malik appeared at Ryou's apartment door. Ryou opened the door and dragged Malik in before closing and locking the door behind them, "Bakura said he wouldn't bother us if we kept out of sight, so let's get to my room before he-""Well well, if it isn't the sand rat..." Bakura stood in the doorway of the kitchen, his arms folded over his chest. He was wearing a shirt now, however it seemed to be too small like the rest of his outfit.  
  
"Oh, Ra..." Malik exclaimed as he saw Bakura's newly changed body. "'Oh, Ra' nothing! If you're going to try and avoid insulting my intelligence, you'll do it with more than two words. Ryou made a noise of unease as he grabbed Malik by the arm and pulled him down the hall to his bedroom.  
  
"What's going on, Ryou?" Malik looked to Ryou for answers, he usually had them anyway. Malik sat down on Ryou's bed. Ryou threw his hands up in utter confusion, "Hell if I know. All I can piece together is that Bakura and Marik are aging out of whack." Malik frowned, "Yea, and they're meaner than ever. So much for that spell..." Ryou nodded, "Would have been nice if it worked."  
  
Glass shattered in the other room followed by some yelling. Ryou sighed, knowing there'd be another mess to clean. Malik tried to cheer him up, "Where's that book? See if there's something in it that will shut him up." Ryou smiled, "Funny." Malik's smile suddenly vanished, "I just had a terrible thought." Ryou sat beside Malik on the bed, "What is it?" "How long will they keep aging like this? What if it doesn't stop?"  
  
Before Ryou could respond, Bakura stormed into the room. Ryou's eyes widened; Bakura looked very angry. "Mind telling me what book he's talking about?" Bakura grabbed Ryou by the front of his shirt and pulled him to his feet with ease. Ryou squeaked in fear and Malik stood to defend him, "Leave him alone!" "Mind your own business, Ishtar... Well then, Mortal? Where is it?" He shook Ryou slightly, causing the boy's head to bobble a bit. "U...Under the bed!" Ryou stuttered. Bakura sneered and threw Ryou back onto the bed and retrieved the book beneath it.  
  
Looking at the cover, Bakura raised an eyebrow, "An Egyptian spell book?" Bakura opened the book and began to turn pages, "What were you doing with this, mortal?" Malik sat next to Ryou and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to keep him calm. Ryou on the other hand stared fearfully up at his towering Yami.  
  
Bakura came to the bookmarked page of the spell book. A brief look of worry passed over the tomb robber's features, but they were soon replaced by anger, "You cast a spell on -me-, mortal?!" Ryou shrank in fear, "No! I mean... It didn't work anyway! I only wanted to try one that would make you be nicer to me!" Ryou threw up his arms in front of himself to shield any oncoming beatings from Bakura. Bakura whacked Ryou over the head with the book, "Like HELL it didn't work. Nicer hm? Idiot. You must have read it wrong. It is called Act Your Age. I'll give you one guess as to what it really does!" Ryou whimpered and rubbed his head, "I... I didn't mean to. I'm sorry!"  
  
"Of course you're sorry, you had better be sorry! Or I'll have to make you sorry..." Bakura growled. "No! I mean it, please!" Ryou was close to tears and he found himself clinging to Malik for support. Malik offered it in the form of an arm around Ryou's shoulders. Malik frowned and glared at Bakura. "Stupid mortal. Do you realize what you've done to me? Do you?! Think about what my true age is, you filthy piece of trash!" Bakura whimpered as a tear fell from his eyes, "Please don't kill me, Bakura Sama, I didn't know!" "I don't care!" Bakura screeched, "However, I still need you to counter the spell."  
  
Malik suddenly remembered his own Yami, "Oh shit..." Bakura lost his rage for the moment, he looked at Malik and wondered what he was talking about, "..? What's the matter with you, Ishtar?" Malik bit his tongue gently, "I used the same spell on Marik... And that means... I have to go home, right now." Malik moved to stand. Bakura stood in his way with a smirk on his face, "Ryou and I would like to go with you, wouldn't we, Ryou?" Malik blinked, "What for?" "To see Marik of course. I have a feeling I'll be able to taunt him more than usual today..." No sooner had Ryou gotten off the bed had they headed out the door.  
  
Marik, by this point, had stopped complaining and started trying to keep his clothing on. He used a rope in place of a belt around his waist since even at the tightest setting his normal belt failed to keep his pants up. With interesting results. *Cough* His pants were rolled up past the knees, but even so, they still appeared full-length on Marik's small frame. His shirt hung off of him like a boat sail and it nearly dragged on the floor.  
  
While Malik was gone, drastic changes had overcome him and he was left much shorter than normal. He had given up over a foot and a half to the odd magic that worked within him with every second that went by. This trapped him in the living room since he could barely reach the doorknob now. Marik sat dejectedly on the living room floor, leaning back against the couch. As time passed, he felt his attire become looser and looser on him. He began to wonder if he would disappear altogether.  
  
He found that shiny objects were more appealing than they had been previously. While examining the reflective screen of the television, Marik wondered if he was losing his mind...even more....if possible. He emitted a quiet yawn, rubbing his eye with a small fist. Even his eyes were changed by the aging spell. They were extremely wide and shiny with a sparkle that would make even the pharaoh jealous. Marik was oblivious to the fact however since he couldn't reach any mirrors to see himself.  
  
There was the sound of a key in a lock at the front door. Marik looked over at the door, curious as to whom it might be, "Hikari?" His voice was no longer deep and dark. In fact, it was rather soft and feathery; utterly out of character. When the door swung open, Marik saw Bakura. Emitting an angered growl, Marik stood and stared down his much taller foe. Ryou and Malik reluctantly followed Bakura into the house. Ryou emitted a slight noise of admiration as his eyes fell on Marik, but Malik elbowed him as if to remind him that Marik wasn't the 'aw' type.  
  
"Heh. How cute." Bakura teased as he walked over to Marik, "Hm, you're shorter than I expected. Smaller than the pharaoh most definitely." Marik knew that any attempt to injure Bakura would fail and make him appear like a lesser. He couldn't have that, so he only glared and stuck to words, "Harsh words coming from a has-been thief king..." Bakura started laughing aloud, "Oh, Ra, and your voice! Hahaha!" Marik gritted his teeth and forgot about dignity, marching up to Bakura and kicking him sharply in the shin. Bakura emitted a slight grunt, "Was that supposed to hurt?" Before Marik had a chance to get away, Bakura reached down and lifted him by the back of his shirt, "How pathetic is this..."  
  
Malik paled a little, his Yami would break his arm for sure when he got his body back if he didn't intervene now, "Bakura, stop that!" Bakura looked over at Malik and smiled, shaking his head, "I don't recall ever taking orders from you in the past, Ishtar." Bakura felt movement on his arm and glanced at Marik who had shifted. What he didn't expect was the bite that the little runt delivered. Right in the wrist; ouch! Bakura gave a slight hiss and released Marik, letting him fall to the floor. Bakura put a hand over his wound and snarled at the Chibi, "Fangs hm? I hadn't known."  
  
Marik hit the floor hard and emitted a grunt. He then turned his head to look up at Bakura and flashed a grin, showing off two tiny pointed fangs in his upper jaw that could pass as normal canine teeth. Well, when you're a psychotic Yami created by hate, you have qualities like that. Licking his lips he got to his feet again, "Perhaps you won't pick me up anymore."  
  
Bakura smirked and pulled back his right leg, kicking Marik in the side and sending him halfway across the room into the base of a chair where his head made an audible thud sound. Sitting up, a bit dazed and confused, Marik felt tears pull at the corner of his eyes. He didn't want to cry, but it was a new feeling that just washed over him, "That hurt..."  
  
Bakura smirked and let out a laugh, "Of course it did, toddler! Now then; it may interest you to know why this happened..." Marik quickly wiped the tears from his eyes before any could fall. He gave Bakura a look of question, "What do you mean?" Malik shifted uneasily and Ryou swallowed; Bakura was going to tell Marik about the spell and then all hell would break loose. Malik watched Bakura look over at Ryou, "Mortal, show him your little book..." Ryou froze, Bakura had forced him to hold the spell book on their way here and now his grip on it tightened. "Well? Come on!" Bakura became impatient.  
  
This sudden harsh command drove Ryou to walk reluctantly over to Bakura. Malik followed to make sure Ryou didn't feel so scared. Ryou held the book out to Bakura who snatched it from his grasp. "This is a spell book, Marik. Our Hikaris have cursed us. And if they don't counter the spell very soon, we could be stuck this way or worse..." Bakura explained precisely and to the point. Malik saw Marik's expression contort to that of bitter hatred. Looking directly at Malik he stood up and glared daggers, "You cast a spell on me, Hikari?! Oh I'll leave worse scars on your body than the ones on your back..." The psychotic Yami started heading over to Malik.  
  
"Idiot, you can't kill him yet. Unless of course you'd like to stay the way you are..." Bakura said as he examined his finger nails. Marik paused then and thought the fact over, "Afterwards then..." Bakura smirked devilishly, "However, we -can- place curses on them. That's so they'll be forced to fix this problem of course. Ryou's eyes went wide, "No! You don't have to! We'll say the spell, right, Malik?!" Malik nodded, "Yes! No problem!" They both saw that Bakura wasn't listening. He took a seat on the couch and flipped through the spell book.  
  
"Bakura? Hey!" Ryou tensed up, fearful as to what Bakura was going to do. Malik had no doubt that his Yami was just as happy to curse him as Bakura and he emitted a defeated groan. Marik climbed up onto the couch and glanced into the book as Malik had done with Ryou the day before. Bakura stopped searching through the book and a gleam came to his eye, "Ah..." Marik scanned the Egyptian symbols on the page and let a chuckle escape his lips. Ryou was worried, "What are you going to do..?" Bakura grinned, "Oh, nothing serious, just something to amuse us..." Malik shifted from foot to foot, fearful as to what amusing meant to a Yami. He had little time to think as both Yamis began chanting a spell in Egyptian tongue as to avoid error.  
  
Ryou saw Malik double over suddenly and give a slight yelp, "Malik, what's wrong?" Malik whined, "Hurts..." Ryou furrowed his brow in confusion but then he too felt pain emanating from his chest. He drew in a quick breathe and gritted his teeth. Ryou felt the fabric of his shirt tightening under his jacket. Malik's whines and noises of unease raised a few octaves as seconds passed. Ryou registered what was happening and crossed his arms over his chest instinctively, "Ahhh! Stop it!" The Yamis neared the end of their spell, completely ignoring Ryou.  
  
After the pain had faded, Malik dropped weakly to his knees. The spell was done. Ryou blushed deeply, embarrassed beyond all reason. He looked down to his friend who didn't look much like himself anymore. His features had become feminine, his upper torso especially. *COUGH* Bakura shut the spell book and admired his handiwork, "Twirl around, would you, mortal?" Ryou pouted at Bakura's teasing and only looked down at the floor.  
  
Marik hopped down from the couch and approached Malik who was now examining himself with a shocked look on his face. Priceless really. "Well, that's not so bad is it...?" He took Malik's chin into his hand and looked at his face. "Hm, I may just keep you this way." Malik, still fear struck, only gave a small squeak at that comment. He stood up and pulled away from his Yami's grip. Marik only laughed at his reaction, "What? You don't appreciate what I've done for you? You're better looking this way, be thankful." Malik frowned and looked helplessly down at Marik, "I'm...Going to go get something else on." He stepped backwards and then turned, walking out of the room.  
  
"Good luck!" Bakura yelled after him, "I don't think that boy owns anything that will fit him now." He laughed a bit. Ryou gave a disgruntled huff. Bakura stood and walked over to him, taking a steel grip on the boy's right wrist and twisting it, "Is there a problem?" Ryou gave a small whine and winced, "N...No." Bakura smiled, "You're amazingly fragile as a woman. I bet I could break your arm without even trying..." "Don't..." Ryou said quietly. Bakura released his wrist, "As soon as Malik gets back, we're going for a little walk..."  
  
Malik sifted through his drawers, trying to find something suitable to wear in the ways of a top. He was rather gifted in the upper torso and his current shirt was beginning to hurt... He locked his bedroom door and took his shirt off completely, struggling somewhat against his new body. Catching sight of himself in his dresser mirror, Malik paused. He studied his face. His eye lashes were long and elegant and his jaw line seemed narrower. His features were delicate. Moving his eyes over the rest of himself, he noticed how his waist pinched inward slightly and flared just a tad about the hips. Biting his lower lip, he quickly chased the thought of beauty from his mind.  
  
Malik finally dug up a loose-fitting black t-shirt and his old rare hunters' cloak. These items he applied to himself quickly before leaving his room and rejoining the others. As he entered the living room, he pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, hiding a blush which formed fast beneath his eyes. Bakura smirked, "That's cute, Ishtar. Perhaps it could be a fad someday." He snickered. "Oh, and I hope you're up for a little bit of role play. You see, we've decided to have a little family while we go out to see some people," Malik paled and Bakura saw it. "That's right. Ryou and Marik are the children. And -you- are my wife. Doesn't that sound fun?"  
  
The next fifteen minutes found all four of them at the mall. Malik carried Marik while walking beside Bakura. He hated every moment of this torture. Bakura purposely made Malik uneasy by calling him honey and sweetheart all the time. Inside he felt degraded and wanted to just scream at Bakura, but he knew he couldn't if he wanted to live. A woman walked up to Malik with a smile on her face, "Aw! What an adorable kid. What's his name?" Malik blinked a few times, "Uh. His name's Marik. Yes, he's very cute. Thank you." Malik nearly choked on his own words but he forced them out due to the look Bakura was giving him. Marik cooed quietly in Malik's arms.  
  
Ryou gave Malik a look of pity as the woman left. Bakura smirked, "Well dear, how nice of her to say that, don't you think?" Malik ignored Bakura and walked away from him. Bakura frowned, "Where do you think you're going?" He moved quickly and grabbed Malik's arm. Malik pouted, "Honey, you wouldn't want to make people think you're abusive, would you? See? They're staring..." Malik jerked his arm free. Bakura hissed inwardly; Malik had the upper hand at this point.  
  
Ryou gasped lightly and put a hand to his mouth. He saw Yugi and Tea walking their way, "Bakura, can we leave?" Bakura perked up to this request and soon saw why Ryou had made it, "No, sorry. You may drop the act, but we're not leaving. Ryou looked back at Yugi and Tea who had caught sight of him. "Hey, Ryou!" Tea called. Bakura smiled and folded his arms, making no move to leave or avoid the two. When Yugi got close enough, his face instantly displayed what he was thinking. What the hell? Tea too looked over all four of the people in front of her and vaguely recognized each one, "What the fuck?"  
  
Yugi blinked a few times, "What happened to all of you?!" Worry hung in his voice as his gaze passed from Malik to Ryou and then to their Yamis. Bakura snickered, "I don't know what you're talking about, Yugi..." Yugi tilted his head, "Ryou what's wrong with your...are you..?!" Marik giggled childishly, his bright eyes shining at what he was seeing. Ryou shifted uneasily, "Mm-hm..." Tea's eyes went wide, "Why? How?" "Ryou decided to play with magic and he made a mistake," Bakura explained with a laugh in his voice, "Inexperienced as he is, I'm surprised he didn't get himself killed." Yugi gawked, "Magic? You used shadow magic, Ryou?"  
  
Ryou looked hurt, "I had to! Bakura's was being too mean! I had to, Yugi! I admit I messed up, but still! I... I don't want to talk about it right now! Screw you, Bakura!" Ryou turned and ran off. Malik thrust Marik into Bakura's hands and took off after Ryou, "Hey, hang on!" His hood fell down in the process, revealing his fate to Yugi and Tea; both of whom just stared. Marik jumped down from Bakura's hold, laughing, "How fun!" Yugi was surprised that he could look down at someone for a change, "I can't believe this!" Yugi felt the spirit inside of his millenium puzzle start to wake up and request permission to take over Yugi's body.  
  
With permission granted, Yami himself now stood before the other two spirits. He blinked at their bizarre appearances, "What a mess..." Bakura face-faulted, "Oh, go back into your rubix cube, pharaoh..." "Stupid phawaoh..." Marik huffed. He then realized what he had said and muttered it again under his breath, "Bakuwa! I can't say da weddew aw..." Bakura laughed aloud, "You're forgetting your letters now? Hilarious!" Tea giggled slightly at Marik's speech, receiving a glare from him. Yami shook his head, "Both of you; shut the hell up and pay attention." Bakura gave Yami a surprised look, "Oh; he swears. The day of miracles has come."  
  
"You know, I can always just let you wither away into nothing, Bakura..." Yami said calmly. That shut Bakura up quick. "Now, you both want to get your bodies back, right? Well then, you're going to have to be a lot nicer to your Hikaris." "Oh, bullshit! That won't do anything," Bakura said with a snort. "'Bullshit' has kept me alive for several millennia so you just be quiet," Yami replied.  
  
Malik found Ryou standing outside the mall sulking. He frowned and walked over to Ryou, "Hey, Ryou?" Ryou looked over at Malik, comforted by the fact that he was in a similar situation as himself. Malik pulled Ryou into a hug, "Look; I know it's not your fault that this happened. Hardly anything -is- your fault. You don't have to run away." Ryou hugged Malik in turn, feeling oddly comfortable with the embrace. Malik pulled himself back a bit, placing his hands on Ryou's shoulders. He looked him up and down once and then tried to insert some humor into their conversation, "Tch. And nobody has hit on you yet; I'm amazed.  
  
Ryou laughed; Malik always made him laugh when he was sad. But he almost took the joke personally. It was odd to be a male in a female's body. "Awkward as it is, you are really cute," Malik said quietly. He quickly shook his head, "But that's just wrong, never mind. Come on, let's get out of here before our Yamis find us." Ryou was flattered, "You think I'm cute?" He followed Malik as he headed away from the mall.  
  
"There is no way in hell I'm being nice to that mortal. And you can't convince me to." Bakura growled at Yami. The small group had moved to the food court and now sat at a table arguing. Bakura's body had begun to show signs of further aging. A slight beard had begun to form on his face and the silver of his hair became dull grey. Yami sighed, "You have to. You'll be dead within a matter of hours otherwise, Bakura." The tomb keeper glared at Yami and thought over his words, "And if I did decide to undergo this change of heart, how would it even help?" "Magic has no definition of the way that it works; you'll just have to trust me. I know much more about these things than you do."  
  
Marik didn't seem as bothered by the whole situation. In fact, he was beginning to act more and more like the six year old he'd become. Without thinking, he moved closer to Bakura and leaned against him, yawning sleepily. Bakura looked down at him and glared, "I'm not a pillow." Marik glanced up at Bakura, "So? You feel wike one." He then closed his eyes and dozed off. Bakura was in his right mind to swat Marik away, but he only rolled his eyes and turned his attention back on Yami, "Fine... But I'm not going to do it because you said to. Remember that." Yami sighed, "Whatever, Bakura, as long as you plan on trying."  
  
"Let's go find those Hikaris then," Bakura said while nudging Marik awake. Marik gave a small groan, blinking tiredly. Bakura gave up trying and just picked him up. Yami and Tea stood, following Bakura out of the mall. Once outside, Bakura looked around and couldn't see either of the Hikaris anywhere nearby, "Hm..." Bakura opened his mind link to his Hikari, ~ Ryou? Where are you? ~  
  
Malik and Ryou had decided to hide out at a park near Ryou's apartment. They sat on a bench by themselves, watching children play. Ryou suddenly gave a yelp. Malik looked at him, "What's the matter?" Ryou shook his head, "Nothing; just startled. Bakura's trying to talk to me. He wants to know where I am." Malik made a face, "Just ignore him." Ryou nodded, "Good idea." ~ Ryou, don't even think about blocking me!!! I have something to tell you! Hey! You little brat, aren't you listening?! ~ Ryou severed his end of the mind link between him and his Yami.  
  
Yami saw the look on Bakura's face, "What is it?" Bakura huffed, "My Hikari's ignoring me." Tea shook her head, "I'm not surprised." Bakura looked surprised by that comment, "What was that?" Tea folded her arms, "I said I'm not surprised; you're so mean to Ryou that it's a wonder he puts up with you at all. Yugi, I'm going home, I really don't care what happens to Bakura." Tea walked away, leaving both Yami and Bakura stunned.  
  
"See? That's what happens when you refuse to make friends; you make enemies without trying," Yami explained. Bakura growled, "Shut up; I don't care about her. Now then, Ryou would most likely have gone home. That's where I'll go." "I'll come with you, just to be sure it works," Yami added as Bakura began to walk away. Bakura huffed, "If you have to..." Bakura shook the sleeping toddler in his arms, "Wake up, Marik." Marik's large violet eyes slid open. "Wha fow?" he asked drowsily while rubbing his right eye. "Ask your Hikari where he is. Do it now," Bakura demanded.  
  
Marik pouted slightly, "Ok..." ~ Hikawi? Whewe ish you? ~ Malik perked up slightly, ~ Marik, is that you? What's wrong with your voice? ~ Marik closed his eyes and leaned into Bakura a bit, ~ Don't know. I needs you Hikawi. Whewe ish you? Me ashk again. ~ Ryou saw Malik's zoned out expression, "Is it Marik?" Malik was shaken from his trance and he nodded. "What does he want?" Ryou asked quietly. "Same thing as your Yami wanted. He says he needs me. I think he might; his voice is all messed up. He's slurring," Malik replied. "Tell him we're at my apartment. This may be serious..." Ryou offered. Malik nodded and then relayed the message to Marik. Ryou got off the bench and waited for Malik to do the same before heading home.  
  
"Deys went home, Bakuwa," Marik said softly. "I thought so," said Bakura with a knowing tone. Heading in the direction of Ryou's apartment he noticed Yami giving him a worried look. "What?" Bakura snapped. He then noticed his voice getting a bit hoarse. Yami sighed, "This is getting out of hand..." It wasn't long before all five of them stood in Ryou's living room, trying to sort things out. Well, Bakura wasn't standing; he sat on the couch since his legs had begun to start weakening. Ryou sighed and sat next to his Yami who tolerated this only because he had to.  
  
Yami smiled faintly but didn't let anyone see, "Well, I suppose I can leave now. Remember, you can't be mean to your Hikaris at all, or it won't work. Let me know how things turn out." Before anyone could protest, Yami exited the apartment. In his mind, Yugi laughed; ~ Do you think our idea's going to work? ~ Yami nodded, "Even if it doesn't, I'll end up using the puzzle. After all, it would do more bad than good if I let those two spirits perish."  
  
Left alone with their Hikaris the Yamis were faced with the toughest challenge of their lives; being nice to these insignificant brats! Bakura shifted uneasily, "So...Morta-..Ryou..." Ryou could see that Bakura really was trying. He didn't like it, but he was trying. He smiled slightly, "What?" Bakura thought a moment, "What's your favorite color..?" Ryou laughed, "Wow, you must really be choked up over this." "Just answer the damn question... please..." Ryou shrugged, "Blue, how about you?" Bakura looked at the floor boredly, "Red."  
  
Marik sat on Malik's knee and thought hard about what he could say to be nice to him, "Um. I dun know what ta say to you, Mawik..." Malik shrugged, "Me neither. Talking is just... Something we don't do, huh?" Marik shook his head. Malik bit lower lip before starting to run a hand through Marik's hair, "Hm; very soft..." Marik huffed, "Shtop peddin me. I'm not a doggie." This made Malik smirk a little.  
  
Ryou removed his jacket since it was warm inside the apartment. He let out a sigh. "What?" Bakura asked. "This doesn't seem to be working..." Ryou replied quietly. "Why would you care if it worked or not?" Bakura said with a bit of confusion in his voice, "I beat you and abuse you. Don't you hate me for that?" Ryou waited until he was done, "Well. I don't like those things. And sometimes I do say I hate you... But I don't want you to die, Bakura..." Ryou's deep brown eyes fell on Bakura with an expression that nearly melted his heart, "I hope this works. I want you to be ok..." Bakura appeared surprised; genuinely surprised this time, "Do you mean that?"  
  
Marik climbed further up Malik's body and tugged on his hair a bit, playing with his earrings. Malik pieced together that his Yami was losing his mind; literally. All the experience a sixteen year old would have anyway. Marik tugged a bit too hard on Malik's left earring and he gave a yelp. He reached up and removed Marik's hand from his ear, "Stop that!" Marik looked confused and sad, "Sowwy..." Malik regretted yelling at Marik once he saw his expression, "Never mind, it's fine."  
  
Bakura moved a little closer to Ryou, smiling at Marik's antics. He then focused on Ryou again, "How can you be so forgiving? I don't understand" Ryou looked up at Bakura and made the daring move of leaning against him, "It's how I was raised. When you hate people to the point where you can't tell good from bad, then you end up alone." Ryou recited his personal values to Bakura who took them to heart. For the first time, he actually thought about it, "I suppose that's true..." Gradually, the discomfort from being nice to his Hikari dissipated.  
  
"Hey, Bakura! Your beard's gone!" Ryou said excitedly as he sat up straight. Bakura hadn't noticed since he was busy listening to his Hikari, but he felt about his chin and Ryou was right, "It must be working. I suppose the pharaoh was right for once." Malik set Marik down who had begun to roll the legs of his pants back down. He was regaining his former height visibly and soon Malik saw familiar features appearing. Ryou watched as Bakura was reverted back into his original teen body. Bakura himself marveled at the changes, still wondering how it had worked.  
  
Marik's eyes became narrowed and his tomb keeper facial markings stretched slightly across his face like they used to. His bangs lead elegant streaks of blonde over his face as they regained their proper size. And the high- reaching spikes of his hair jutted out a tad further. The makeshift belt about his waist had become tight and so he removed it before it cut off the circulation to his legs. Malik stood and looked over his Yami to make sure everything was normal, "It worked! Ra be damned; it worked!" At that moment both Hikaris moved away from their Yamis a bit. "You're not going to hurt us now, are you?" Malik asked to both Yamis.  
  
Marik looked at Bakura and shrugged. Bakura looked back and arched an eyebrow, "No." He looked toward Ryou, "No, I won't at least..." "And you?" Malik asked Marik. Marik folded his arms, "It wouldn't look very good if I did. However..." Malik face-faulted. "You're not allowed to wear that cloak on our way home. And I'll only revert you once we're there." Marik laughed at Malik who gave him an angered look. But Malik soon saw the joke in his words and smiled.  
  
"Yea, that's right, Hikari. Flaunt it all the way home." Marik said with a grin. He took Malik by the wrist after he had removed his rare hunters' cloak. The two of them left the apartment after saying goodbye to Ryou and Bakura. Ryou laughed aloud as he heard catcalls from the hallway. Bakura snickered quietly. Now left alone with Bakura, Ryou wondered what was going to happen. "Say, Ryou?" Ryou perked up, "Hm?" "Do you know how to dance?" Bakura said with a grin. He may as well try something new while they had a mutual relationship.  
  
Yami smiled to himself as he let Yugi have control over his own body again. The millenium puzzle gleamed for a moment after having completed a counter to a certain aging spell. "That was really nice of you, Yami." ~ Not really, it's just an act I have to keep up. Heh. ~  
  
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Wheee! OOC huh? Funny I say! Hilarious gigglesplick. @-@ Ok, now I should get to work on that sequel to Change of Heart. Bai! ^.^! 


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